Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) Shares Acquired by HMS Capital Management LLC

HMS Capital Management LLC increased its position in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM) by 6.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 9,798 shares of the business services provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 615 shares during the period. Waste Management accounts for about 1.0% of HMS Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. HMS Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Waste Management were worth $2,034,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 94,414.4% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 2,591,584 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $538,013,000 after buying an additional 2,588,842 shares during the period. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP bought a new position in Waste Management in the first quarter worth about $300,594,000. Capital World Investors boosted its stake in Waste Management by 44.6% in the first quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 4,226,869 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $900,957,000 after acquiring an additional 1,303,466 shares during the period. Swedbank AB bought a new position in shares of Waste Management during the first quarter valued at approximately $193,955,000. Finally, Wulff Hansen & CO. raised its position in shares of Waste Management by 20,402.6% during the 2nd quarter. Wulff Hansen & CO. now owns 868,080 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $185,196,000 after purchasing an additional 863,846 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.40% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management Stock Up 0.8 %

WM stock opened at $215.88 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The firm has a market cap of $86.65 billion, a PE ratio of 33.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.74. Waste Management, Inc. has a 12 month low of $167.78 and a 12 month high of $225.00. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $209.58 and a 200 day simple moving average of $209.00.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 28th. The business services provider reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.07. Waste Management had a return on equity of 39.88% and a net margin of 12.35%. The company had revenue of $5.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.51 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.63 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Waste Management Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th were issued a $0.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 13th. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.39%. Waste Management’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.87%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WM has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Waste Management to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Waste Management from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. William Blair began coverage on shares of Waste Management in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating for the company. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Waste Management from $214.00 to $227.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on Waste Management from $226.00 to $216.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $226.11.

Insider Activity at Waste Management

In other news, Director Maryrose Sylvester sold 310 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $215.47, for a total transaction of $66,795.70. Following the transaction, the director now owns 3,875 shares in the company, valued at $834,946.25. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.18% of the company’s stock.

Waste Management Company Profile

Waste Management, Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of environmental solutions to residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers in the United States and Canada. It offers collection services, including picking up and transporting waste and recyclable materials from where it was generated to a transfer station, material recovery facility (MRF), or disposal site; and owns and operates transfer stations, as well as owns, develops, and operates landfill facilities that produce landfill gas used as renewable natural gas for generating electricity.